1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless networking, and more particularly, to a mass subscriber management technique for wireless networks.
2. Description of Related Art
Network subscriber management typically involves a centralized database wherein a list of authorized subscribers (i.e., authorized users) and data pertaining thereto are maintained. When a subscriber attempts to gain access to the services and resources of a private network, the subscriber must first be authenticated by the authentication system in use on the network.
Typically, subscribers are identified by an account name and password. For example, Remote Access Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) is an authentication and accounting system used by many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that employs account names and passwords. When a subscriber attempts to log into the ISP via RADIUS, their account name (i.e., username) and password must be entered via a login screen. This information is passed to a remote RADIUS server, which checks that the information is correct, and then authorizes access to the ISP network system. If the account name and password are not entered properly, access to the ISP network system is denied.
This type of technology, while standard in the industry, has several problems. First, as it is a centralized method, all database information typically exists in one place at a remote server site and must be backed up for reliability. Second, valuable network bandwidth is occupied during the authentication process. Third, it imposes delays to the subscriber, as the subscriber must wait to be authenticated by the remote server. Fourth, real-time access to the remote authentication server must be provided, requiring the server and network to be both highly available and reliable. These are all critical issues for ISPs that provide wireless connectivity in public areas, also known as “Hot Spots,” via the use of an edge device such as access point.
De-centralizing the subscriber database by pushing the subscriber information out from the center to the edge of the wired network, i.e., at the Hot Spot, is problematic because of two concerns. First, a wireless network service provider can implement a number of edge devices. Each edge device must be provided and updated with the same database of subscriber account names and passwords, thereby requiring a heavy burden to synchronize all of the edge devices' subscriber databases. Such synchronization further wastes value network bandwidth that could be dedicated to in-band communications. Second, as the subscriber database reaches a critical point, the available memory and processing resources within the edge device is typically insufficient to store and process the database.